Trump also can’t just tear down the White House and build whatever for billions without Congress approval
The difference being that there’s nothing, physically, to stop him from just having contractors turn up and start building, regardless of what the rules say. That’s not the same thing as ordering currency issuance, something that he has literally no means of doing short of sending armed goons into the offices. You can’t just put an apple next to an orange and say “These are the same.”
he also can’t invent huge tariff wars and he can’t control the handling of midterm elections.
He can, depending on how you interpret the law. That’s why both of those things are subject to legal challenges. Notice that his last round of tariffs had to be called off, because he lost in court.
If Trump simply does whatever he wants, all of the time, and no law or institution can ever stop him, the original “liberation day” tariffs would still be in place. But that’s just not how this actually works. Reality exists, and Trump has to operate within it.
But if I’m wrong, you can prove it very easily; just tell me where Kilmar Abrego Garcia is right now.
Yes, some parts of the judicial system of the US are still functioning (see Garcia), however the judicial system is rotting from the top already, the legislative system has been completely paralysed by the Conservative Party in support of the executive. Trump cannot do anything he wants, yet (the Fed is not yet gleichgeschaltet and maybe will be spared, given how dangerous it is to compromise it for the stability of the regime). But he is chipping away safeguards and rule of law at record speed. The US is really resembling in a way the late stage Weimar Republic, also regarding how citizen’s still can’t imagine the collapse of rule of law and democratic principles, while standing right in front of the cliff, or already one step beyond.
In that regard, it is interesting to note that in Germany, the were two kind of regimes working side by side for a long time. One that still resembled a system of rule of law, for the larger society, that was compliant and not targeted by the regime, and then one that was directed at the opponents or those targeted by the regime, that was completely arbitrary. Supporters but even those not on the bad side, still experienced a rule of law based society and could not even imagine how the reality was already for those that were targeted.
Trump has already ICE, as his SA equivalent. What he still misses is that the court system at the lower levels is still sticking to the law. This will take some more time of corrosive rulings from the top, “unitary executive” and such.
I have no disagreement with anything that you’ve said here, and it honestly reads to me that you have actually come around to agreeing with what I’m saying.
My point is not, and never ever will be, that there is nothing to be concerned about. Trump is a fascist, and he is doing everything he can to turn the US into a dictatorship.
I push back on the oft repeated assertion that (heavily paraphrasing the many different versions of this that I’ve seen) “Trump can do whatever he wants because of his magic crime powers” because it’s defeatist thinking. If you assume that everything and anything is completely within his power and ignore the actual realities at play then you’re just conceding ground that is still in contention. It’s not actually helpful or useful. You can’t fight a war if you’re always in retreat. You have to know where the battle lines actually are. That doesn’t mean that those lines aren’t under attack. But recognizing where those lines are means you can actually fight to defend them.
Yes, it is part of the plan to let people believe the regime is more powerful than it is, especially in authoritarian regimes like the US has became already. That said, Authoritarianism is a spectrum and even in countries fairly down he road, like Hungary, the regime can fall, astonishingly even voted out of power if the people start to see through the charade. In other cases however the regime is powerful enough to stay in power by spilling enough blood. The US is still in transition, there are still parts of the system that work and fight back with the executive not being able to ignore it, yet. In my view many people are not aware how far down the road the US already is, at the point where free and fair elections are starting to be critically endangered (building upon the previous erosion by gerry mandering, desinfrachisment, Super PACs …). However you are right that also the contrary misleading view is dangerous, that the fight is already over and the authoritarians are already all powerful.
The difference being that there’s nothing, physically, to stop him from just having contractors turn up and start building, regardless of what the rules say. That’s not the same thing as ordering currency issuance, something that he has literally no means of doing short of sending armed goons into the offices. You can’t just put an apple next to an orange and say “These are the same.”
He can, depending on how you interpret the law. That’s why both of those things are subject to legal challenges. Notice that his last round of tariffs had to be called off, because he lost in court.
If Trump simply does whatever he wants, all of the time, and no law or institution can ever stop him, the original “liberation day” tariffs would still be in place. But that’s just not how this actually works. Reality exists, and Trump has to operate within it.
But if I’m wrong, you can prove it very easily; just tell me where Kilmar Abrego Garcia is right now.
Yes, some parts of the judicial system of the US are still functioning (see Garcia), however the judicial system is rotting from the top already, the legislative system has been completely paralysed by the Conservative Party in support of the executive. Trump cannot do anything he wants, yet (the Fed is not yet gleichgeschaltet and maybe will be spared, given how dangerous it is to compromise it for the stability of the regime). But he is chipping away safeguards and rule of law at record speed. The US is really resembling in a way the late stage Weimar Republic, also regarding how citizen’s still can’t imagine the collapse of rule of law and democratic principles, while standing right in front of the cliff, or already one step beyond.
In that regard, it is interesting to note that in Germany, the were two kind of regimes working side by side for a long time. One that still resembled a system of rule of law, for the larger society, that was compliant and not targeted by the regime, and then one that was directed at the opponents or those targeted by the regime, that was completely arbitrary. Supporters but even those not on the bad side, still experienced a rule of law based society and could not even imagine how the reality was already for those that were targeted.
Trump has already ICE, as his SA equivalent. What he still misses is that the court system at the lower levels is still sticking to the law. This will take some more time of corrosive rulings from the top, “unitary executive” and such.
I have no disagreement with anything that you’ve said here, and it honestly reads to me that you have actually come around to agreeing with what I’m saying.
My point is not, and never ever will be, that there is nothing to be concerned about. Trump is a fascist, and he is doing everything he can to turn the US into a dictatorship.
I push back on the oft repeated assertion that (heavily paraphrasing the many different versions of this that I’ve seen) “Trump can do whatever he wants because of his magic crime powers” because it’s defeatist thinking. If you assume that everything and anything is completely within his power and ignore the actual realities at play then you’re just conceding ground that is still in contention. It’s not actually helpful or useful. You can’t fight a war if you’re always in retreat. You have to know where the battle lines actually are. That doesn’t mean that those lines aren’t under attack. But recognizing where those lines are means you can actually fight to defend them.
I can see your point.
Yes, it is part of the plan to let people believe the regime is more powerful than it is, especially in authoritarian regimes like the US has became already. That said, Authoritarianism is a spectrum and even in countries fairly down he road, like Hungary, the regime can fall, astonishingly even voted out of power if the people start to see through the charade. In other cases however the regime is powerful enough to stay in power by spilling enough blood. The US is still in transition, there are still parts of the system that work and fight back with the executive not being able to ignore it, yet. In my view many people are not aware how far down the road the US already is, at the point where free and fair elections are starting to be critically endangered (building upon the previous erosion by gerry mandering, desinfrachisment, Super PACs …). However you are right that also the contrary misleading view is dangerous, that the fight is already over and the authoritarians are already all powerful.